NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says "Ukraine has the momentum" in its war with Russia as he reiterated the security alliance's support for Kyiv.
Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels on October 11 that a barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine over the past two days was a sign of "weakness" as Russia is failing to make gains on the battlefield.
"While Russia is increasingly resorting to horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure, [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin is failing in Ukraine," he said of the attacks, which have killed at least 19 people in what is seen as a reprisal for a blast last weekend that destroyed the only bridge between Moscow-annexed Crimea and mainland Russia.
Stoltenberg added that NATO would hold its annual nuclear deterrence exercise next week since it was planned "a long time ago," and that the alliance was closely monitoring Russia's nuclear forces.
"We have not seen any changes in Russia's posture, but we remain vigilant," he said.
NATO defense ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels on October 12.
